Entwined
by Eliana Panthera
Summary: She could still feel Ziva's hands moving across her skin, could still fell the other woman's lips against her own, could still hear her own soft gasps and whimpers.  The memories clawed at her brain, making her feel guilty, ashamed of herself. -Kate/Ziva-


**Title: **Entwined

**Rating: **High T-ish

**Genre: **Fluff, Angst, Romance

**Pairing(s): **Kate/Ziva

**Character(s): **Kate Todd, Ziva David

**Summary: **She could still feel Ziva's hands moving across her skin, could still fell the other woman's lips against her own, could still hear her own soft gasps and whimpers. The memories clawed at her brain, making her feel guilty, ashamed of herself.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, would I be writing fic for it? Probably. But it's not mine.

**Author's Note: **So…I've had this idea for several months now, and I _finally _wrote it out. I'm actually really happy with it. Sorry for any typos/mistakes. I'm on Motrin, which makes it kind of hard to write properly. XD

XXX

Kate felt strangely comfortable as Ziva's hands danced along her bare skin. Usually, her first time with a new partner, she felt extremely self-conscious. But there was something about the way that Ziva was touching her and kissing her that made her feel surprisingly comfortable in her own skin. There was no judgment in Ziva's caresses, or in her eyes as she studied Kate's body, eyes running over the valleys and hills of the brunette's skin. The only thing there was what Kate could simply describe as 'adoration'.

"You are so beautiful," Ziva said, voice soft and soothing, in a way. Kate felt her cheeks flush, and the blush only deepened when the Israeli woman stroked her cheek gently and murmured, "I take that back. You are not beautiful. You are _perfect_."

Carefully, Ziva brushed Kate's hair back from her face and slid a warm, strong hand under the back of Kate's head, pulling her into a kiss. It was soft and slow, and Kate soaked in the feeling. Ziva wasn't trying to push her too quickly or take things too roughly. She was being careful, letting Kate take control.

Kate was, by far, not a virgin. But this was like her first time all over again. She was nervous and unsure of what to do, and she was slowly beginning to have second thoughts. But Ziva's kisses were soothing and nothing was moving along unless she wanted it to―much unlike the time when Kate had lost her virginity (It had been his first time as well, and it was sloppy and painful and Kate _hated_ it).

A soft sigh slid from Kate's lips, lost against Ziva's mouth, as the Israeli gently ran a hand up her side and traced the flat plane of her stomach. Kate broke their languid kiss long enough to say, "I'm ready. I want you. Please."

Ziva kisses her once more and whispers, "Your wish is my command, metuka." Then her gentle, careful kisses move lower. Each brush of lips against Kate's skin made her shiver lightly, body lighting more and more on fire with each touch. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax, letting her worries fall away until there was nothing but she, Ziva, and the glorious intimacy of the moment.

She felt lips on her inner thigh a moment later, and as they moved higher, the nervousness came back full force. Kate had never been with another woman like this before, and she was honestly scared. Ziva had just been so sweet and careful and comforting that, until now, she had managed to forget about it.

Kate's returned nervousness must have been obvious, because Ziva paused and asked, "Are you okay?" Swallowing thickly, Kate kept her eyes closed, asking herself if she was _honestly_ ready for this. Her mind told her that she probably wasn't, but her heart told her she was. She listened to the latter.

"Yes. I just…I'm nervous. But I'm ready," Kate told her, surprised at how sure of herself she felt. In response, Ziva went back to kissing her inner thighs. This time, though, the Israeli reached up and gently laced her fingers with Kate's, giving them a gentle-yet-firm squeeze. Kate felt her nervousness melt away at the gesture, and she allowed herself to sink into the mattress and forget about everything except Ziva.

XXX

Kate's head rested on the wood back of the pew in front of her. Her hands were curled against her chest, mouthing the words to a silent prayer. It felt empty in the church, seeing as it was early on a Tuesday and no one was there except her. But she preferred it that way―she wanted to pray in peace today.

She could still feel Ziva's hands moving across her skin, could still fell the other woman's lips against her own, could still hear her own soft gasps and whimpers. The memories clawed at her brain, making her feel guilty, ashamed of herself. Especially since she was thinking about them in church.

"I…I don't know what I'm feeling anymore, God. I think I love her, but it's wrong, isn't it? I don't want to hurt her by leaving her, but I…I just don't know what to do. Is this _really _sinning? It feels right but I've been told all my life that it isn't. I'm so confused. I need help. I need advice. I just need _something_." The words tumbled from her mouth, and she wondered why she couldn't pray as well as she used to.

Kate heard the clicking of footsteps on the floor, echoing through the empty church. She ignored them though, assuming that it was someone else who wanted to be able to pray in private. It startled her when the other person stopped beside her pew and, a few seconds later, settled beside her on the bench.

"Can we talk?" Kate looked up then, recognizing the accent immediately. She took Ziva in, and almost forgot about why she was at the church in the first place. The Israeli was wearing a warm, fuzzy winter jacket. A dark blue beanie was tugged down over her ears, plastering her hair to her face. Kate's first thought was, _She's so adorable_. Then she remembered her earlier prayers and the thoughts cleared from her head.

Kate simply nodded, telling Ziva to start talking. Sighing, the Israeli drummed her fingers on the back of the pew in front of them, "I do not quite know how you feel―I gave up on religion a long time ago. But I can tell that this is tearing you apart. I do not want you to force yourself to be with me if it is not what you want. If you want me to go, I will."

"I…I don't know, Ziva," Kate said, swallowing back tears. She refused to cry. Not now. She had to be strong.

Ziva bit her lip and asked, "Can I just…tell you what I think?" Kate nodded, and the Israeli spoke in that quiet tone she used when she was being completely serious, "God is supposed to accept everyone, yes? And he knows everything. So…he probably knows that what the world needs right now, more than anything else, is love. No matter who it is between. I love you, and believe God knows that. But…if you want me to leave now, I will. We can forget about last night, and about the last four months. We can go back to being friends. Because I hate seeing you like this, torn between me and your religion."

Silence followed. Kate allowed the words to sink in, closing her eyes as she leaned back against the pew. She wasn't sure what to think anymore. Ziva's words made perfect sense, but she wasn't sure if that was simply because she _wanted _to believe them.

Finally, Kate whispered, "Maybe you're right."

She then squeezed Ziva's hand, lacing their fingers tightly together. Her eyes opened, and she saw the faintest trace of a relieved smile on Ziva's face, "Do you want me to drive you home? I know you only live a block or two away, but I do not want you to walk home in the cold."

"I think I'd like that," Kate replied, letting her worries fall away like she had the night before, focusing only on Ziva. Maybe God cared, maybe He didn't. All Kate knew was that she felt safe and comfortable with her fingers tangled with Ziva's, and she wanted to keep that feeling forever.

Ziva gently pulled Kate to her feet, and together they walked out of the church. After they were outside, Kate leaned forward and kissed Ziva softly on the lips, losing herself in the warmth, letting everything disappear until it was just she and Ziva.

Their hands stayed entwined the whole time.

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